Finance planning tool

Charity accounting software requirements checker

Accounting projects fail when a charity buys software before defining fund coding, donation reconciliation, Gift Aid, month-end close, reporting, migration, and finance ownership. Use this checker before demos, imports, or switching finance workflows.

Workflow routes5Bookkeeping, donations, grants, payroll, VAT, suppliers, and complex finance.

Readiness checks8Weighted around ownership, funds, reconciliation, reporting, migration, and access controls.

Best useBefore shortlistRun before vendor demos, account migration, or implementation quotes.

Data entryLocal onlySelections run in the browser and are not submitted.

1. Choose the finance context

Main finance workflow Finance complexity Main source of finance data

2. Tick the requirements already ready

A finance owner and accountant or examiner review route are namedThe charity knows who owns accounting setup, month-end close, access, reports, annual accounts, examiner or accountant questions, and renewal decisions.Chart of accounts and fund coding are draftedIncome, expenditure, restricted funds, unrestricted funds, projects, grants, departments, cost centres, and reserves are mapped before import.Donation, fee, refund, and Gift Aid reconciliation is mappedDonation platforms, payment processors, campaign sources, Gift Aid or tax receipt fields, refunds, fees, and payout timing have a repeatable reconciliation process.Month-end close tasks and evidence are listedBank reconciliation, income checks, supplier bills, payroll, expenses, restricted fund movement, journals, approvals, and trustee report dates are listed.Trustee, funder, and management reports are definedThe requirements list the reports needed by trustees, funders, senior staff, programme leads, finance committee, accountant, or auditor.Payroll, VAT, MTD, and supplier requirements are checked where relevantPayroll, pensions, expenses, VAT, Making Tax Digital, supplier bills, approval workflows, and payment controls are either in scope or explicitly out of scope.Migration, attachments, and retention rules are plannedOpening balances, historical transactions, invoices, receipts, bank records, payroll files, Gift Aid or tax records, and audit evidence have retention decisions.Access controls and handover are documentedThe charity knows who can approve payments, edit accounts, export data, connect bank feeds, invite users, recover access, and hand over after staff changes.

Use this before accounting software demos

Do not move bank, donation, Gift Aid, payroll, VAT, supplier, or grant data until ownership, retention, access, and reconciliation rules are clear.
Ask vendors and accountants to price setup, migration, training, support, reporting, integrations, and month-end controls, not only licences.
Keep restricted funds, unrestricted funds, projects, grants, departments, and campaigns separate if they need different reports or controls.
This checker supports requirements planning only. It is not accounting, tax, audit, eligibility, or procurement advice.

Related accounting and fundraising benefits

Accounting guide

Accounting, finance, payroll, VAT

Xero for nonprofits

Xero's UK non-profit page says registered not-for-profit organisations on a business pricing plan can get 25% off Xero.

Official Xero UK non-profit page verified2026-06-22

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QuickBooks nonprofit accounting status

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Zoho for Nonprofits

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Official Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform nonprofit page verified2026-06-22

Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics, security

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Official nonprofit offers page rechecked2026-08-12

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Official PayPal Giving Fund UK page verified2026-06-22

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Stripe nonprofit fee discount status

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Official Stripe support page verified; exact rates not quoted2026-06-22

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Donorbox nonprofit fundraising platform

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Official Donorbox pricing page verified2026-06-22

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Official Givebutter country, pricing, payment-processing, payment-method, and Stripe payout pages rechecked; US-presence requirement and UK donor distinction verified2026-08-12

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GoFundMe Pro's official pricing page lists an Essentials route for nonprofits with annual revenue under USD 1 million, with zero subscription fees, no setup costs, and same-day access to the core product suite.

Official GoFundMe Pro pricing page verified; regional eligibility caveat preserved2026-06-22

Online fundraising, donations, Gift Aid

JustGiving for Charities

JustGiving's charity page lists fundraising pages, campaign pages, donate buttons, regular giving, reporting, and UK charity joining routes.

Official JustGiving charity page verified2026-06-22

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Enthuse's pricing page lists branded donations, fundraising, events, mass participation, subscription costs, and fee components for charities.

Official Enthuse pricing page verified2026-06-22

Event ticketing, fundraising events, registrations

Humanitix charity ticketing

Humanitix's official UK pricing page says free events cost nothing, standard paid tickets are 4.67% + GBP 0.46, and Charities & Schools pricing is 3.33% + GBP 0.25 per paid ticket, excluding VAT.

Official UK pricing page verified2026-06-22

Document automation, proposals, contracts, eSignatures, payments

PandaDoc for Nonprofits

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Official nonprofit and plan pages checked on 12 October 2026; charity-specific pricing needs confirmation2026-10-12

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Secure content management and collaboration

Box.org

Box.org states that nonprofits receive the first 10 licenses free on the Starter plan, with discounted pricing on other plans and add-on services.

Official Box.org page verified2026-06-21

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TechSoup nonprofit technology marketplace

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Official marketplace entry verified2026-06-21